Goodfellows: Mom focuses on children's happiness

Updated 10:21 pm, Thursday, December 20, 2012

Single parent Twanna Davis sits for a family portrait with her 4-month-old son, Kaleb, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jazzlyn, at their Houston home.

Single parent Twanna Davis sits for a family portrait with her 4-month-old son, Kaleb, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jazzlyn, at their Houston home.

Photo: Alyssa Orr, Staff

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Twanna Davis holds her 4 1/2-month-old son, Kaleb Davis-Ford, left, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jazzlyn Davis, on the couch beside her Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at their home in Houston. The Davis family are second year recipients of the Goodfellows program, which provides new holiday toys to children in need. Davis does not have a job because the price of childcare outweighs what she would make in income. The Goodfellows program is run by the Houston Chronicle and all funds are donated by Chronicle readers, employees and business partners and are used entirely to purchase toys. Last year, Houston's generosity enabled Goodfellows to provide toys to nearly 60,000 children in almost 18,000 families. (Alyssa Orr / Houston Chronicle)

Twanna Davis holds her 4 1/2-month-old son, Kaleb Davis-Ford, left, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jazzlyn Davis, on the couch beside her Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at their home in Houston. The Davis family are

Twanna Davis holds her 4 1/2-month-old son, Kaleb Davis-Ford, left, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jazzlyn Davis, on the couch beside her Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at their home in Houston. The Davis family are second year recipients of the Goodfellows program, which provides new holiday toys to children in need. Davis does not have a job because the price of childcare outweighs what she would make in income. The Goodfellows program is run by the Houston Chronicle and all funds are donated by Chronicle readers, employees and business partners and are used entirely to purchase toys. Last year, Houston's generosity enabled Goodfellows to provide toys to nearly 60,000 children in almost 18,000 families. (Alyssa Orr / Houston Chronicle)

Twanna Davis holds her 4 1/2-month-old son, Kaleb Davis-Ford, left, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jazzlyn Davis, on the couch beside her Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at their home in Houston. The Davis family are

Twanna Davis sits on her modest but overstuffed couch with a 4-month-old perched on one knee and an inquisitive 3-year-old playing coy for the camera on her other side.

Davis smiles and gently prods her young daughter, Jazzlyn, to smile. Four-month-old Kaleb, who's just woken up from a nap, contentedly gums his chubby little hand, oblivious to the family portrait in the works.

Davis has a gentle way with her children and chuckles often at the silliness Jazzlyn puts on display.

Plastered all over the living room walls are photos of the children; these three are a tight-knit unit. "I don't really have that much family. It's really just us. Me and the kids," Davis said. "I'm a single parent, so I don't have any help. It gets hard around the holidays, because we only have each other. I need to make sure they have something."

To ensure that Jazzlyn has presents to open on Christmas, Davis turned to the Houston Chronicle's Goodfellows, which provides new toys for children ages 2-10 whose families need assistance due to unemployment, illness or family circumstances.

"It helps, because without that, more than likely, she (Jazzlyn) wouldn't be able to get anything," Davis said. "Some people say, 'Well, you're lazy, and why can't you buy your kids gifts?' But they don't understand that people do have different circumstances. It's good to know that people care enough to offer gifts."

Davis, who graduated from high school and attended college, attempted to go back to work but found she couldn't afford child care, which is $900 month.

"The child care is more than rent, especially with a newborn and a 3-year-old," Davis said. "If I don't have anyone to watch my kids, I can't go to work. It's a never-ending cycle."

Despite her modest circumstances, Davis remains positive by focusing on being a good mother. When it comes to her children, she said she has no qualms about asking for assistance.

"A closed mouth doesn't get fed. No one knows you need help unless you tell them," Davis said. "I know I need help, but it's not about me personally, it's for my kids. I'll do anything I can to make sure they have a good Christmas."